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  • Billy Paul, center, a jazz and soul singer best known...

    Earl Gibson III / AP

    Billy Paul, center, a jazz and soul singer best known for the No. 1 hit ballad and "Philadelphia Soul" classic "Me and Mrs. Jones," died April 24, 2016. He was 81. Read more.

  • Character actor Abe Vigoda, known for his roles in "The...

    Jon Simon / AP

    Character actor Abe Vigoda, known for his roles in "The Godfather" and the television series "Barney Miller," died Jan. 26, 2016. He was 94. Read more.

  • David Gest, a music producer, reality TV star and former...

    Sang Tan/AP

    David Gest, a music producer, reality TV star and former husband of Liza Minnelli, died April 12, 2016. He was 62. Read more.

  • Morley Safer, the veteran "60 Minutes" correspondent who was equally...

    John Paul Filo / AP

    Morley Safer, the veteran "60 Minutes" correspondent who was equally at home reporting on social injustices, the Orient Express and abstract art, and who exposed a military atrocity in Vietnam that played an early role in changing Americans' view of the war, died May 18, 2016. He was 84. Read more.

  • Cuban leader Fidel Castro, the icon of leftist revolution who...

    Charles Tasnadi / AP

    Cuban leader Fidel Castro, the icon of leftist revolution who thrust his Caribbean nation onto the world stage by provoking Cold War confrontation and defying U.S. policy through 11 administrations, died Nov. 25, 2016. He was 90. Read more.

  • English actor Alan Rickman, best known for roles in "Love...

    Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times

    English actor Alan Rickman, best known for roles in "Love Actually," "Die Hard" and as Professor Snape in the "Harry Potter" films, died Jan. 14, 2016, after battling cancer. He was 69. Read more.

  • Former U.S. Congressman Michael G. Oxley, who helped write a...

    Mary Altaffer / AP

    Former U.S. Congressman Michael G. Oxley, who helped write a landmark business regulatory law following the collapse of Enron Corp. and WorldCom Inc., died Jan. 1, 2016, at age 71.

  • Agnes Nixon, who created popular daytime TV dramas such as...

    Rick Rowell / ABC via Getty Images

    Agnes Nixon, who created popular daytime TV dramas such as "One Life to Life" and "All My Children," died Sept. 28, 2016. The Chicago-born Northwestern University graduate was 93. Read more.

  • Singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen, one of popular music's most influential figures...

    John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune

    Singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen, one of popular music's most influential figures for four decades, known most widely for the song "Hallelujah," died Nov. 10, 2016. He was 82. Read more.

  • Gwen Ifill, who covered politics for some of the country's...

    Brendan Smialowski / AP

    Gwen Ifill, who covered politics for some of the country's premier newspapers before transitioning to broadcast journalism and making her greatest mark as one of the most prominent TV anchors of her generation, died Nov. 14, 2016. She was 61. Read more.

  • Maurice White, whose sweeping compositions for the group he founded,...

    Matt Sayles / AP

    Maurice White, whose sweeping compositions for the group he founded, Earth, Wind & Fire, encompassed jazz, soul, gospel, blues, Latin and African music, died Feb. 4, 2016. He was 74. Read more.

  • Janet Reno, who was the first woman to serve as...

    Tony Gutierrez / AP

    Janet Reno, who was the first woman to serve as U.S. attorney general and became the epicenter of multiple political storms during the Clinton administration, died Nov. 7, 2016. She was 78. Read more.

  • Grant Tinker, who brought new polish to the TV world...

    Danny Moloshok / AP

    Grant Tinker, who brought new polish to the TV world and beloved shows including "Hill Street Blues" to the audience as both a producer and a network boss, died Nov. 28, 2016. He was 90. Read more.

  • Van Williams, best known for his starring role as Britt...

    Getty Images

    Van Williams, best known for his starring role as Britt Reid/the Green Hornet in the 1966-67 TV series "The Green Hornet," died Nov. 28, 2016. He was 82. Read more.

  • Harper Lee, the elusive novelist whose child's-eye view of racial injustice...

    Rob Carr / AP 2007

    Harper Lee, the elusive novelist whose child's-eye view of racial injustice in a small Southern town, "To Kill a Mockingbird," became standard reading for millions of young people and an Oscar-winning film, died Feb. 19, 2016. She was 89. Read more.

  • Dan Haggerty, best known for his role in "The Life...

    Getty Images

    Dan Haggerty, best known for his role in "The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams," died from cancer Jan. 15, 2016. He was 74. Read more.

  • Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, center, shakes hands with former Israeli...

    Associated Press

    Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, center, shakes hands with former Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir after their final political talks in Jerusalem on Nov. 21, 1977. At right is Shimon Peres.

  • Three-time Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Edward Albee — best known...

    Stephen Dunn / 2010 Hartford Courant photo

    Three-time Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Edward Albee — best known for "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" — died Sept. 16, 2016. He was 88. Read more.

  • Polish film director Andrzej Wajda, whose career maneuvering between a...

    Alik Keplicz / AP

    Polish film director Andrzej Wajda, whose career maneuvering between a repressive communist government and an audience yearning for freedom won him international recognition and an honorary Oscar, died Oct. 9, 2016. He was 90. Read more.

  • Palestine Liberation Organization Chairman Yasser Arafat, left, Israeli Foreign Minister...

    Jerome Delay / Associated Press

    Palestine Liberation Organization Chairman Yasser Arafat, left, Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres, second from left, and Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, right, receive their Nobel Peace Prize from Francis Sejersted, chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, in Oslo on Dec. 10, 1994.

  • John Saunders, the versatile sportscaster who had hosted ESPN's "The...

    Joe Faraoni / AP

    John Saunders, the versatile sportscaster who had hosted ESPN's "The Sports Reporters" for the last 15 years, died Aug. 10, 2016. He was 61. Read more.

  • Fred Hellerman, right, a founding member of the influential folk...

    Richard Drew / AP

    Fred Hellerman, right, a founding member of the influential folk music quartet the Weavers, died Sept. 1, 2016. He was 89. Read more.

  • Buddy Ryan, the defensive architect of the Super Bowl champion...

    Kidwiler Collection / Getty Images

    Buddy Ryan, the defensive architect of the Super Bowl champion 1985 Chicago Bears, died on June 28, 2016. He was 82. Read more.

  • French New Wave director Jacques Rivette, who often explored the...

    Damien Meyer/ AFP/Getty Images

    French New Wave director Jacques Rivette, who often explored the blurry line between reality and fantasy in a career spanning six decades and more than 20 features, died Jan. 29, 2016. He was 87. Read more.

  • Denise Matthews, the singer who fronted Vanity 6 and collaborated...

    Ron Wolfson / WireImage

    Denise Matthews, the singer who fronted Vanity 6 and collaborated with Prince, has died at the age of 57. Read more.

  • Gordie Howe, known as "Mr. Hockey" for his enduring skills...

    Chicago Tribune Photo

    Gordie Howe, known as "Mr. Hockey" for his enduring skills and the fierce competitiveness that inspired him to come out of retirement at 45 to play alongside two of his sons, died June 10, 2016. He was 88. Read more.

  • Angela Paton, an actress best known for appearing with Bill...

    Marty Lederhandler / AP

    Angela Paton, an actress best known for appearing with Bill Murray in "Groundhog Day," died May 26, 2016. She was 86. Read more.

  • Heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali, who thrilled the world even after...

    John Rooney / AP

    Heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali, who thrilled the world even after the punches had taken their toll and his voice barely rose above a whisper, died June 3, 2016. He was 74. Read more.

  • Sir George Martin, the Beatles producer who guided, assisted and...

    Stephan Chernin / AP

    Sir George Martin, the Beatles producer who guided, assisted and stood aside through the band's swift, historic transformation from rowdy club act to musical and cultural revolutionaries, died March 8, 2016. He was 90. Read more.

  • Boutros Boutros-Ghali, a veteran Egyptian diplomat who helped negotiate his country's...

    Cris Bouroncle / AFP/Getty Images

    Boutros Boutros-Ghali, a veteran Egyptian diplomat who helped negotiate his country's landmark peace deal with Israel but then clashed with the United States when he served a single term as U.N. secretary-general, died Feb. 16, 2016. He was 93. Read more.

  • Prime Minister Shimon Peres, right, meets with opposition leader Benjamin...

    Jerome Delay / Associated Press

    Prime Minister Shimon Peres, right, meets with opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Feb. 12, 1996.

  • Defense Minister Shimon Peres, second from left, attends the funeral...

    Max Nash / Associated Press

    Defense Minister Shimon Peres, second from left, attends the funeral of Lt. Col. Yonatan Netanyahu, co-commander of an Israeli commando raid on a hijacked plane in Uganda, at his grave in Jerusalem on July 5, 1976. Some faces were painted out by censors for security seasons.

  • Bill Nunn, a veteran character actor whose credits ranged from...

    Craig Barritt / AFP/Getty

    Bill Nunn, a veteran character actor whose credits ranged from the "Spider-Man" movie franchise to such Spike Lee films as "Do the Right Thing" and "He Got Game," died Sept. 24, 2016. He was 63. Read more.

  • Rod Temperton, a British-born musician and songwriter with a singular...

    Yui Mok / AP

    Rod Temperton, a British-born musician and songwriter with a singular knack for pop-funk who wrote the Michael Jackson classics "Thriller," ''Rock With You" and many other hits, died in late September. He was 66. Read more.

  • Anton Yelchin, a rising actor best known for playing Chekov...

    Richard Shotwell / AP

    Anton Yelchin, a rising actor best known for playing Chekov in the new "Star Trek" films, was killed by his car as it rolled down his driveway June 19, 2016. He was 27. Read more.

  • Playwright Peter Shaffer, whose durable, award-winning hits included "Equus" and...

    AP

    Playwright Peter Shaffer, whose durable, award-winning hits included "Equus" and "Amadeus," died June 6, 2016. He was 90. Read more.

  • Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel, the Romanian-born Holocaust survivor whose classic...

    Bebeto Matthews / AP

    Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel, the Romanian-born Holocaust survivor whose classic "Night" became a landmark testament to the Nazis' crimes and launched Wiesel's long career as one of the world's foremost witnesses and humanitarians, died July 2, 2016. He was 87. Read more.

  • Chicago radio legend Herb Kent, the longest-running DJ in the...

    Raymond Boyd / Getty Images

    Chicago radio legend Herb Kent, the longest-running DJ in the history of radio and a fixture on local airwaves for more than 70 years, died Oct. 22, 2016. He was 88. Read more.

  • Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres, right, views an honor guard,...

    Paola Crociani / Associated Press

    Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres, right, views an honor guard, accompanied by Egyptian Prime Minister Ali Lutfy, as he arrives in Alexandria, Egypt, for a meeting with President Hosni Mubarak in 1986.

  • Lincoln "Chips" Moman, a producer, guitarist, and songwriter, who helped...

    Yalonda M. James / AP

    Lincoln "Chips" Moman, a producer, guitarist, and songwriter, who helped Elvis Presley engineer a musical comeback in the late 1960s and then moved to Nashville to record country legends such as The Highwaymen, died June 13, 2016. He was 79. Read more.

  • Country singer Sonny James, who recorded romantic ballads like "Young...

    Mark Humphrey / AP

    Country singer Sonny James, who recorded romantic ballads like "Young Love" and turned pop songs into country hits, died Feb. 22, 2016. He was 87. Read more.

  • Sharon Jones, the stout powerhouse who shepherded a soul revival...

    Nuccio DiNuzzo / Chicago Tribune

    Sharon Jones, the stout powerhouse who shepherded a soul revival despite not finding stardom until middle age, died Nov. 18, 2016. She was 60. Read more.

  • John Glenn, whose 1962 flight as the first U.S. astronaut...

    Jay LaPrete / AP

    John Glenn, whose 1962 flight as the first U.S. astronaut to orbit the Earth made him an all-American hero and propelled him to a long career in the U.S. Senate, died Dec. 8, 2016. The last survivor of the original Mercury 7 astronauts was 95. Read more.

  • Craig Sager, the longtime NBA sideline reporter famous for his...

    Ronald Martinez / Getty Images

    Craig Sager, the longtime NBA sideline reporter famous for his flashy suits and probing questions, died Dec. 15, 2016, after a battle with cancer. He was 65. A native of Batavia, Illinois, Sager attended Northwestern, where he walked onto the football and basketball teams and served as the school's "Willie the Wildcat" mascot for three years. Read more.

  • Author Richard Adams, whose 1972 classic, "Watership Down," sold 50...

    Associated Press

    Author Richard Adams, whose 1972 classic, "Watership Down," sold 50 million copies, died on Dec. 27, 2016. He was 96. Read more.

  • Prince, a quintuple threat instrumentalist-singer-songwriter-producer-performer who became one of the...

    Matt Sayles / Invision / AP

    Prince, a quintuple threat instrumentalist-singer-songwriter-producer-performer who became one of the towering figures in music the last four decades, died April 21, 2016. He was 57. Read more.

  • Alan Vega, the singer of iconic New York proto-punk band...

    Frank Perry, AFP/Getty Images

    Alan Vega, the singer of iconic New York proto-punk band Suicide, died July 16, 2016. He was 78. Read more.

  • Burt Kwouk, who played martial arts expert Cato in the...

    Michael Crabtree / AP

    Burt Kwouk, who played martial arts expert Cato in the comic "Pink Panther" films, died May 24, 2016. He was 85. Read more.

  • Bud Collins, who helped popularize the sport of tennis through...

    Gill Allen / AP

    Bud Collins, who helped popularize the sport of tennis through his writing and television commentary, died on March 4, 2016, at 86. Collins was a columnist for the Boston Globe for almost 50 years and spent 35 years doing analysis of major tennis tournaments for NBC. Read more.

  • Pat Conroy, author of "The Great Santini" and "The Prince...

    Richard Shiro / AP

    Pat Conroy, author of "The Great Santini" and "The Prince of Tides," died March 4, 2016, in Beaufort, S.C., at age 70 after a short battle with pancreatic cancer. Read more.

  • Writer-director Garry Marshall, whose deft touch with comedy and romance...

    Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times

    Writer-director Garry Marshall, whose deft touch with comedy and romance led to a string of TV hits that included "Happy Days" and "Laverne & Shirley" and the box-office successes "Pretty Woman" and "Runaway Bride," died July 19, 2016. He was 81. Read more.

  • Zsa Zsa Gabor, the jet-setting Hungarian actress who made a...

    Paul Harris / Getty Images

    Zsa Zsa Gabor, the jet-setting Hungarian actress who made a career out of multiple marriages, conspicuous wealth and jaded wisdom about the glamorous life, died Dec. 18, 2016. She was 99. Read more.

  • Gloria Naylor, whose debut novel "The Women of Brewster Place,"...

    Tom Keller / AP

    Gloria Naylor, whose debut novel "The Women of Brewster Place," became a best-seller, a National Book Award winner and a TV miniseries released through Oprah Winfrey's production company, died Sept. 28, 2016. She was 66. Read more.

  • Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, from left, former President Shimon...

    Dan Balilty / Associated Press

    Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, from left, former President Shimon Peres and President Reuven Rivlin in Jaffa, Israel, on July 21, 2016.

  • Chess Records co-founder Phil Chess, who with brother Leonard helped...

    Henry Herr Gill / AP

    Chess Records co-founder Phil Chess, who with brother Leonard helped launch the careers of Chuck Berry, Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters and others and amassed a catalog of rock and electric "Chicago" blues that profoundly influenced popular music in the 1950s and beyond, died Oct. 18, 2016. He was 95. Read more.

  • Thomas Ford, the actor who played Martin Lawrence's best friend...

    Paras Griffin/Getty Images for ASPiRE TV

    Thomas Ford, the actor who played Martin Lawrence's best friend Tommy Strawn on the hit 1990s sitcom "Martin," died Oct. 12, 2016. He was 52. Read more.

  • Robert Vaughn, who starred as Napoleon Solo on "The Man...

    AP

    Robert Vaughn, who starred as Napoleon Solo on "The Man From U.N.C.L.E." died Nov. 11, 2016. He was 83. Read more.

  • Garry Shandling, who as an actor and comedian pioneered a...

    Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times

    Garry Shandling, who as an actor and comedian pioneered a pretend brand of self-focused docudrama with "The Larry Sanders Show," died March 24, 2016, in Los Angeles. He was 66. Read more.

  • Jon Polito, a character actor whose more than 200 credits...

    Matt Sayles / Invision/AP

    Jon Polito, a character actor whose more than 200 credits ranged from "Homicide: Life on the Street" and "Modern Family" to the Coen Brother films "Barton Fink" and "The Big Lebowski," died Sept. 1, 2016. He was 65. Read more.

  • Visionary London architect Zaha Hadid, renowned for her swooping, strongly...

    Kevork Djansezian / AP

    Visionary London architect Zaha Hadid, renowned for her swooping, strongly sculpted buildings and for being the first woman to win the Pritzker Architecture Prize, her field's highest honor, died March 31, 2016. She was 65. Read more.

  • Ron Glass, the handsome, prolific character actor best known for...

    Frazer Harrison / Getty Images

    Ron Glass, the handsome, prolific character actor best known for his role as the gregarious, sometimes sardonic detective Ron Harris in the long-running cop comedy "Barney Miller," died Nov. 25, 2016. He was 71. Read more.

  • Mother Angelica, a folksy Roman Catholic nun who used a...

    Philip Holman / AP

    Mother Angelica, a folksy Roman Catholic nun who used a monastery garage to begin a television ministry that grew into a global religious media empire, died March 27, 2016. She was 92. Read more.

  • George Kennedy, center, who won a supporting actor Oscar for...

    AP

    George Kennedy, center, who won a supporting actor Oscar for his role alongside Paul Newman in the beloved film "Cool Hand Luke," and was also a fixture of 1970s disaster movies including the "Airport" franchise and "Earthquake," died Feb. 28, 2016. He was 91. Read more.

  • Prime Minister Shimon Peres, also serving as the country's defense...

    Nati Harnik / Associated Press

    Prime Minister Shimon Peres, also serving as the country's defense minister, is greeted by a military honor guard as he arrives at the Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv on Nov. 23, 1995.

  • Joan Marie Johnson of The Dixie Cups died Oct. 9. 2016....

    Douglas Mason / Getty Images

    Joan Marie Johnson of The Dixie Cups died Oct. 9. 2016. She was 72.

  • Bob Elliott, right, was one half of the comedy team...

    NBC / NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

    Bob Elliott, right, was one half of the comedy team of Bob and Ray with Bob Goulding, left. Elliott died Feb. 3, 2016. He was 92. Read more.

  • Pat Summitt, the winningest coach in Division I college basketball...

    Wade Payne / AP

    Pat Summitt, the winningest coach in Division I college basketball history who uplifted the women's game from obscurity to national prominence during her 38-year career at Tennessee, died June 28, 2016. She was 64. Read more.

  • Umberto Eco, an Italian novelist and intellectual of worldwide renown...

    Tina Fineberg / Associated Press / For Tribune Newspapers

    Umberto Eco, an Italian novelist and intellectual of worldwide renown who imbued his work with humor and scholarship and whose novel "The Name of the Rose" became a global phenomenon, died Feb. 19, 2016. He was 84. Read more.

  • Peres, then Israeli president, welcomes Pope Benedict XVI to Israel...

    Pier Paolo Cito / Associated Press

    Peres, then Israeli president, welcomes Pope Benedict XVI to Israel on May 11, 2009.

  • Christina Grimmie, a vivacious, outgoing singer whose career was born...

    Katie Darby/Invision/AP

    Christina Grimmie, a vivacious, outgoing singer whose career was born on social media and propelled toward the big time by television on "The Voice," died June 10, 2016. The 22-year-old was shot and killed as she was signing autographs for fans after performing in Orlando. Read more.

  • Former New York Philharmonic principal conductor Pierre Boulez, who moved...

    Christophe Ena / AP

    Former New York Philharmonic principal conductor Pierre Boulez, who moved between conducting, composition and teaching over a long career that made him one of the leading figures in modern classical music, died Jan. 5, 2016. He was 90. Read more.

  • Chyna, the WWE star who in the 1990s became one...

    Hector Mata / AFP

    Chyna, the WWE star who in the 1990s became one of the best-known and most-popular female professional wrestlers in history and who billed herself as the "9th Wonder of the World," died April 20, 2016. She was 45. Read more.

  • Actor-comedian Alan Young, who played the amiable straight man to...

    AP

    Actor-comedian Alan Young, who played the amiable straight man to a talking horse in the 1960s sitcom "Mister Ed," died May 19, 2016. He was 96. Read more.

  • Former U.S. Sen. Bob Bennett, R-Utah, one of the first...

    Steve C. Wilson / AP

    Former U.S. Sen. Bob Bennett, R-Utah, one of the first incumbents ousted in a national wave of tea party-led anger in 2010, died May 4, 2016. He was 82. Read more.

  • Kimbo Slice, a street-fighting sensation from Miami whose fisticuffs went...

    Stephen Shugerman / Getty Images

    Kimbo Slice, a street-fighting sensation from Miami whose fisticuffs went viral on YouTube, died June 6, 2016. Slice, whose real name was Kevin Ferguson, was 42.

  • Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres, center, and Palestinian leader Yasser...

    Ahmed Jadallah / Associated Press

    Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres, center, and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, left, leave a meeting in the Gaza Strip on Sept. 26, 2001.

  • Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres signs the historic Israel-PLO Oslo Accords on...

    J. DAVID AKE / AFP/Getty Images

    Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres signs the historic Israel-PLO Oslo Accords on Palestinian autonomy in the occupied territories in a ceremony at the White House in Washington, D.C. as Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, an unidentified aide, President Bill Clinton and PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat look watch on Sept. 13, 1993.

  • Keith Emerson, the flamboyant, English prog-rock pioneer who rose to...

    Damian Dovarganes/AP

    Keith Emerson, the flamboyant, English prog-rock pioneer who rose to fame as the keyboardist for supergroup Emerson, Lake & Palmer in the 1970s, died March 11, 2016. He was 71. Read more.

  • Frank Sinatra Jr., who carried on his famous father's legacy...

    Mark J. Terrill / AP

    Frank Sinatra Jr., who carried on his famous father's legacy with his own music career and whose kidnapping as a young man added a bizarre chapter to his father's legendary life, died March 16, 2016. He was 72. Read more.

  • Gene Wilder, the frizzy-haired actor who brought his deft comedic...

    Jessica Hill / AP

    Gene Wilder, the frizzy-haired actor who brought his deft comedic touch to such unforgettable roles as the neurotic accountant in "The Producers" and the mad scientist of "Young Frankenstein," died Aug. 29, 2016. He was 83. Read more.

  • Paul Kantner, a founding member of the Jefferson Airplane who...

    Shawn Baldwin / AP

    Paul Kantner, a founding member of the Jefferson Airplane who stayed with the seminal San Francisco band through its transformation from 1960s hippies to 1970s hit makers as the eventual leader of successor group Jefferson Starship, died Jan. 28, 2016. He was 74. Read more.

  • Then-Israeli President Shimon Peres gives an interview at his home...

    Dan Balilty / Associated Press

    Then-Israeli President Shimon Peres gives an interview at his home in Jerusalem on July 15, 2014.

  • Florence Henderson, who went from Broadway star to become one...

    Gus Ruelas / AP

    Florence Henderson, who went from Broadway star to become one of America's most beloved television moms in "The Brady Bunch," has Nov. 24, 2016. She was 82. Read more.

  • Israel's former President Shimon Peres in 2013.

    Sebastian Scheiner / AP

    Israel's former President Shimon Peres in 2013.

  • Actress Theresa Saldana, known for movies including "Raging Bull" and...

    Bob D'Amico / ABC

    Actress Theresa Saldana, known for movies including "Raging Bull" and nominated for a Golden Globe for her work on TV's "The Commish," died June 6, 2016. She was 61. Read more.

  • Miami Marlins pitching ace Jose Fernandez was killed in a...

    Steve Mitchell / USA Today Sports

    Miami Marlins pitching ace Jose Fernandez was killed in a boat accident on the jetty rocks off Miami Beach on Sept. 25, 2016. He was 24. Read more.

  • Ernestine Anderson, the internationally celebrated jazz vocalist who earned four...

    Jill Sagers-Wijangco / Chicago Tribune

    Ernestine Anderson, the internationally celebrated jazz vocalist who earned four Grammy nominations during a six-decade career, died March 10, 2016. She was 87. Read more.

  • Tom Hayden, the preeminent 1960s radical who roused a generation...

    Charles Osgood / Chicago Tribune

    Tom Hayden, the preeminent 1960s radical who roused a generation of alienated young Americans, became a symbol of militancy by leading riotous protests at the 1968 Democratic National Convention, and added Hollywood glamour to his mystique with an activist partnership and marriage to film star Jane Fonda, died Oct. 23, 2016. He was 76. Read more.

  • Shimon Peres, a former Israeli president and prime minister, whose life...

    Dan Balilty / AP

    Shimon Peres, a former Israeli president and prime minister, whose life story mirrored that of the Jewish state and who was celebrated around the world as a Nobel prize-winning visionary who pushed his country toward peace, died Sept. 28, 2016. He was 93. Read more.

  • John Tishman, center, a builder whose company has worked on some...

    Bebeto Matthews / AP

    John Tishman, center, a builder whose company has worked on some of the most high-profile developments in the country, died Feb. 6, 2016. He was 90 years old.

  • Defense Minister Shimon Peres, left, congratulates Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin...

    Associated Press

    Defense Minister Shimon Peres, left, congratulates Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin on Feb. 23, 1977, in Tel Aviv after learning that Rabin was elected by members of the ruling Labor Party to represent it in the May 17 general elections.

  • Rob Ford, the pugnacious, populist former mayor of Toronto whose...

    Geoff Robins / AFP/Getty Images

    Rob Ford, the pugnacious, populist former mayor of Toronto whose career crashed in a drug-driven, obscenity-laced debacle, died March 22 after fighting cancer. He was 46. Read more.

  • Glenn Frey, who co-founded the Eagles — one of the...

    Dan Steinberg / AP

    Glenn Frey, who co-founded the Eagles — one of the most commercially successful bands of the last half-century — and left behind a trove of indelible melodies including 17 Top-40 hits died Jan. 18, 2016. He was 67. Read more

  • Debbie Reynolds, seen here in 2012, an actress known for...

    Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times

    Debbie Reynolds, seen here in 2012, an actress known for the musical "Singin' in the Rain," and her Oscar-nominated role in "The Unsinkable Molly Brown," died on Dec. 28, 2016, a day after her daughter, Carrie Fisher, died. Reynolds was 84. Read more.

  • Boy band promoter Lou Pearlman, known for launching groups such...

    John Raoux / AP

    Boy band promoter Lou Pearlman, known for launching groups such as the Backstreet Boys and 'NSync, died in prison Aug. 19, 2016, while serving a 25-year sentence for one of the largest Ponzi schemes in Florida history. Read more.

  • David Bowie, the innovative and iconic singer whose illustrious career...

    Ron Frehm / AP

    David Bowie, the innovative and iconic singer whose illustrious career lasted five decades, died Jan. 10, 2016, after battling cancer for 18 months. He was 69. Read more.

  • E.R. Braithwaite, the Guyanese author, educator and diplomat whose years...

    FPG / Getty Images

    E.R. Braithwaite, the Guyanese author, educator and diplomat whose years teaching in the slums of London's East End inspired the international best-seller "To Sir, With Love" and the popular Sidney Poitier movie of the same name, died Dec. 12, 2016. He was 104. Read more.

  • Phife Dawg, a founding member of the hip-hop group A...

    Andrew H. Walker / Getty Images

    Phife Dawg, a founding member of the hip-hop group A Tribe Called Quest, died March 22, 2016. He was 45. Read more.

  • Imre Kertesz, the Hungarian writer who won the 2002 Nobel...

    John MacDougall/ AFP/Getty Images

    Imre Kertesz, the Hungarian writer who won the 2002 Nobel Prize for Literature for fiction largely drawn from his experience as a teenage prisoner in Nazi concentration camps, died March 31, 2016. He was 86. Read more.

  • Fyvush Finkel, the Emmy Award-winning character actor whose career in...

    Richard Drew / AP

    Fyvush Finkel, the Emmy Award-winning character actor whose career in stage and screen started in Yiddish theater and led to memorable roles in "Fiddler on the Roof" on Broadway and on TV in "Boston Public" and "Picket Fences" died Aug. 14, 2016. He was 93. Read more.

  • Attrell Cordes, who formed the hip-hop duo P.M. Dawn with...

    Steve Eichner / Getty Images

    Attrell Cordes, who formed the hip-hop duo P.M. Dawn with his brother and was also known by the name Prince Be, died June 17, 2016. Read more.

  • Arnold Palmer, a Pennsylvania greenskeeper's son who became one of...

    AP file photo

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Shimon Peres, a former Israeli president and prime minister, whose life story mirrored that of the Jewish state and who was celebrated around the world as a Nobel prize-winning visionary who pushed his country toward peace, died early Wednesday. He was 93.

His son, Chemi, confirmed his death Wednesday morning to reporters gathered at a Tel Aviv hospital where Shimon Peres had been treated for the past two weeks.

Peres‘ condition worsened following a major stroke two weeks ago that led to bleeding in his brain. He was sedated and on a respirator during most of his hospitalization.

“Today with deep sorrow we bid farewell to our beloved father, the ninth president of Israel,” Chemi Peres said.

“Our father’s legacy has always been to look to tomorrow. We were privileged to be part of his private family, but today we sense that the entire nation of Israel and the global community share this great loss. We share this pain together.”

Dr. Rafi Walden, Peres’s personal physician and son-in-law, said Peres was in good health until earlier this month. He said that President Barack Obama called the family and spoke with Peres’s daughter to express his condolences.

The family said that Peres wanted his corneas donated.

Israel’s education minister, Naftali Bennett, directed that all of Israel’s school children dedicate a portion of the day on Thursday to the study of the life and achievements of Peres.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement mourning the passing of Peres. He said he will convene his Cabinet for a special session later in the day. After that, a special committee was to meet to prepare arrangements for a funeral that many international dignitaries and world leaders are expected to attend. A former top aide to Peres said it was likely his body will lie in state at the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem on Thursday, when the public will be allowed to pay their respects. Then on Friday his remains will be moved by procession to nearby Mt. Herzl for burial.

As word of Peres‘ death spread, reaction started pouring in from Israel and around the globe.

Obama eulogized him as a man who represented “the essence of Israel itself.”

“There are few people who we share this world with who change the course of human history, not just through their role in human events, but because they expand our moral imagination and force us to expect more of ourselves. My friend Shimon was one of those people,” he said. “A light has gone out, but the hope he gave us will burn forever.”

Walden, said the family was “very moved” by a conversation they had with Obama, who awarded Peres the presidential medal of freedom in 2012. Walden, who was also Peres‘ personal physician, said he died overnight “without suffering.”

Former President Bill Clinton and Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton said they “lost a true and treasured friend” with the death of Shimon Peres.

The Clintons said Israel has lost a leader “who championed its security, prosperity and limitless possibilities from its birth to his last day on earth.” They called him “a genius with a big heart who used his gifts to imagine a future of reconciliation, not conflict.”

Former Presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush also issued statements of mourning.

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel also issued a statement, saying Peres was a “voice of tolerance in a region and a time of intolerance.”

Peres, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, is the elder statesman of Israeli politics, one of the country’s most admired leaders and the last surviving link to its founding fathers.

In an unprecedented seven-decade political career, Peres filled nearly every position in Israeli public life and was credited with leading the country through some of its most defining moments, from creating its nuclear arsenal in the 1950s, to disentangling its troops from Lebanon and rescuing its economy from triple-digit inflation in the 1980s, to guiding a skeptical nation into peace talks with the Palestinians in the 1990s.

A protege of Israel’s founding father David Ben-Gurion, he led the Defense Ministry in his 20s and spearheaded the development of Israel’s nuclear program. He was first elected to parliament in 1959 and later held every major Cabinet post — including defense, finance and foreign affairs — and served three brief stints as prime minister. His key role in the first Israeli-Palestinian peace accord earned him a Nobel Peace Prize and revered status as Israel’s then most recognizable figure abroad.

And yet, for much of his political career he could not parlay his international prestige into success in Israeli politics, where he was branded by many as both a utopian dreamer and political schemer. His well-tailored, necktied appearance and swept-back gray hair seemed to separate him from his more informal countrymen. He suffered a string of electoral defeats: competing in five general elections seeking the prime minister’s spot, he lost four and tied one.

Israel's former President Shimon Peres in 2013.
Israel’s former President Shimon Peres in 2013.

He finally secured the public adoration that had long eluded him when he has chosen by parliament to a seven-year term as Israel’s ceremonial president in 2007, taking the role of elder statesman.

Peres was celebrated by doves and vilified by hawks for advocating far-reaching Israeli compromises for peace even before he negotiated the first interim accord with the Palestinians in 1993 that set into motion a partition plan that gave them limited self-rule. That was followed by a peace accord with neighboring Jordan. But after a fateful six-month period in 1995-96 that included Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin’s assassination, a spate of Palestinian suicide bombings and Peres‘ own election loss to the more conservative Benjamin Netanyahu, the prospects for peace began to evaporate.

Relegated to the political wilderness, he created his non-governmental Peres Center for Peace that raised funds for cooperation and development projects involving Israel, the Palestinians and Arab nations. He returned to it at age 91 when he completed his term as president.

Shimon Perski was born on Aug. 2, 1923, in Vishneva, then part of Poland. He moved to pre-state Palestine in 1934 with his immediate family. Her grandfather and other relatives stayed behind and perished in the Holocaust. Rising quickly through Labor Party ranks, he became a top aide to Ben-Gurion, Israel’s first prime minister and a man Peres once called “the greatest Jew of our time.”

At 29, he was the youngest person to serve as director of Israel’s Defense Ministry, and is credited with arming Israel’s military almost from scratch. Yet throughout his political career, he suffered from the fact that he never wore an army uniform or fought in a war.

Of his 10 books, several amplified his vision of a “new Middle East” where there was peaceful economic and cultural cooperation among all the nations of the region.

Despite continued waves of violence that pushed the Israeli political map to the right, the concept of a Palestinian state next to Israel became mainstream Israeli policy many years after Peres advocated it.

Shunted aside during the 1999 election campaign, won by party colleague Ehud Barak, Peres rejected advice to retire, assuming the newly created and loosely defined Cabinet post of Minister for Regional Cooperation.

In 2000, Peres absorbed another resounding political slap, losing an election in the parliament for the largely ceremonial post of president to Likud Party backbencher Moshe Katsav, who was later convicted and imprisoned for rape.

Even so, Peres refused to quit. In 2001, at age 77, he took the post of foreign minister in the government of national unity set up by Ariel Sharon, serving for 20 months before Labor withdrew from the coalition.

Then he followed Sharon into a new party, Kadima, serving as vice-premier under Sharon and his successor, Ehud Olmert, before assuming the presidency.

Associated Press and The Washington Post contributed.